


Stucky Fluffy One-Shots

by Wholocked96



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Badass Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Has Nightmares, But it's not very good, Cuddles, Fluff and Angst, I tried to make sure Tony stayed sassy, M/M, Nat is a good bro, Some Humor, Song Lyrics, Steve helps him through them, a few song fics in here, a mission is outlined, boyfriend backup, cause why not, cute boyfriends being cute, some lazer tag, some tears, winter soldier programming mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28045824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wholocked96/pseuds/Wholocked96
Summary: A collection of short one shots that show recuperating Bucky Barnes and his boyfriend Steve Rogers. They help and hold each other, through the sad and fun. All in a canon divergent AU where Bucky comes back to Steve after the SHIELD collapse. They are not in chronological order because that's not the way my brain works when I write apparently. There are song fics sprinkled in here too.If you have a song you would like our boys to listen to and react to, just leave me a comment and I'd be happy to throw a fic together for it. Song fics are my favorite to write. If you have ideas that aren't songs, but just situations you want to see our boys in, let me know about that too.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Kudos: 10





	1. I Was So Unsteady

It was such a rainy day. Steve stood at one of the walls of windows, watching the rain fall. It had been raining for several days. Steve had gotten restless after a couple days of it, but now he had settled into it. He didn’t know how long he had been standing here staring out, but he didn’t really care. He watched the puddles grow larger, the rain cascade down the window, the wind blow the trees. He was oblivious to the world for now, and he liked it that way. His headphones drowned out the sound of nature and put him in a musing, peaceful mood. He hardly registered the music, really, it was just the smooth beat and his gentle breathing. 

A glance down at his phone, realizing he’d been through two of the albums on his phone already. He sighed gently, realizing he should probably head back to his room. It was a big compound and he had probably been missed already. But he couldn’t tear himself from the peace and steadiness of the moment. A new song started playing and this time the words and melody flooded through him, keeping him there. His eyes fluttered closed and he lost himself in the song.

_ Hold, Hold on, hold onto me _

_ Cause I’m a little unsteady, a little unsteady _

_ Hold, hold on, hold onto me _

_ Cause I’m a little unsteady, a little unsteady _

_ Mama, come here _

_ Approach, appear _

_ Daddy, I’m alone _

_ Cause this house don’t feel like home _

As lost as Steve was he didn’t notice Bucky slide through the door frame behind him. Bucky stopped himself from calling out to him when he noticed the headphones over his ears. Bucky had been worried for a while, when he couldn’t find Steve. It had been almost a year and a half since he had moved into the compound but he still found it unsettling to be around the other Avengers without Steve, his presence kept him from slipping. Slipping back into the soldier had finally turned into less of an instinct and more of a symptom. It was what told Bucky that he needed to find Steve before he went over. Even just listening to the rain mingled with Steve’s steady breathing settled Bucky when he finally found him. He slowly walked toward Steve, keeping his steps light and even, not wanting to draw attention quite yet. He loved watching Steve when he was like this. At peace, steady and strong. Bucky stopped a few paces just behind him, watching his shoulders rise and fall with his breath. Bucky tried to match him, trying to slow his heart rate. 

Steve didn’t notice Bucky’s presence until he stepped up beside him. Steve looked over at him, surprised to see Bucky equally lost in thought, his eyes distant as he stared out the window as well. 

_ If you love me, don’t let go, woah _

_ If you love me, don’t let go _

_ Hold, hold on, hold onto me _

_ Cause I’m a little unsteady, a little unsteady _

_ Hold, hold on, hold onto me _

_ Cause I’m a little unsteady, a little unsteady _

Steve considered slipping off the headphones, Bucky normally didn’t track him down unless he needed him, but Bucky seemed okay, his breathing was steady, his posture relaxed. So Steve relaxed again, lost in the music as he enjoyed simply the presence of his best friend. 

_ Mother, I know _

_ That you’re tired of being alone _

_ Daddy, I know you’re trying _

_ To fight when you feel like flying _

That line hit Steve particularly hard, his eyes suddenly prickled. Memories rushed back as he realized that key moments in his life were the times that he fought, even though he felt like flying away instead. 

_ But if you love me, don’t let go, woah _

_ If you love me, don’t let go _

Letting go. Steve had let go several times. He had let go of Bucky on the train, never even been able to hold onto him before he fell. He had let go of the will to keep going when he dropped that plane into the arctic. He glanced to his left to watch Bucky for a moment. His head had dropped to stare at the ground, his left hand gently rubbing the back of his neck. Steve watched his face in the reflection of the window, somber and quiet. 

_ Hold, hold on, hold onto me _

_ Cause I’m a little unsteady, a little unsteady _

_ Hold, hold on, hold onto me _

_ Cause I’m a little unsteady, a little unsteady _

_ Hold, hold on, hold onto me _

_ Cause I’m a little unsteady, a little unsteady _

The song came to an end. Steve slipped out his phone again. He quickly added the song to his personal music library before slipping the headphones off. 

Bucky lifted his head to look over at him. “Good song, huh?”

Steve chuckled. “I guess I’ve just been pensieve, it’s been a while since any of us left the compound.”

Bucky nodded, his eyes clouded suddenly. “Yeah, it’s been a rough couple of days.”

Steve turned to take in his best friend completely. His left hand was relaxed at his side, but his right hand was clenched in his jacket pocket. His eyes were dark and tired. His relaxed posture was forced.

“Are you okay, buddy?”   
  


Bucky glanced at him, then back outside. “What was the song?”   
  


Steve recognized the change of subject and let Bucky have it. He shrugged, turning back to the window. “Nat introduced me to a new rock group. It’s not really heavy rock, I don’t really know what it is, but it’s nice, almost meditative. The song is called Unsteady. I like it.” 

He slipped Bucky the phone from his pocket, and held out the headphones as well. Bucky hesitated then took both, slipping the headphones on as he swiped the phone open. Steve watched his best friend as the song started. His eyes flickered shut, his head dropping again slowly, his breathing got a little more erratic, and Steve knew his control was slipping. He stepped sideways until his shoulder gently bumped his buddy’s. Steve didn’t know what had caused Bucky to track him down, but it was obvious he needed him. Bucky’s head came back up gradually, focused and back under control, the simple touch seemed enough to settle him. 

Steve focused on the rain outside as his friend continued to listen to the simple music. Steve was surprised after a few moments of silence when Bucky slipped the phone open again, almost without looking at it, to restart the song. Bucky slipped the phone into his jacket pocket, and shifted his weight to put more pressure on Steve’s shoulder as he continued to listen to the headphones. Steve returned the pressure, until they were basically holding each other up. 

Bucky finally slipped the headphones off and let out a heavy breath, as if he had been holding it in. 

“You okay, Buck?” Steve tried again, his worry growing for his friend.

Bucky chuckled shakily. “I don’t even know what okay means anymore, Steve. I’ve been unsteady for too damn long.”

Steve almost chuckled at the song reference, but stopped when he recognized the broken tone it was said in. “You’re here now, Buck, I’ll always be here to hold onto you.”

Bucky looked over at him. “Till the end of the line?”   
  


“Till the end of the line, Buck.”   
  


Bucky glanced down at his hands, his left hand gripped onto the headphones, the whirring of the machinery brought him back to why he sought out Steve in the first place. “You always steady me, Steve, always have. I missed you while I was…. Him.”

Steve rocked away from him in surprise, and Bucky instantly missed the contact. “You remembered me while you were him?”   
  


Bucky chuckled a little. “I tried to, I knew there was some stubborn blonde ass out there who was fighting for me, even if I forgot about him eventually.”   
  


Steve found his throat tight as he tried to reply, trying to think of something to say.

Bucky suddenly straightened his shoulders. “I remembered something new the other day. I wanted to tell you about it, is that okay?”   
  


Steve shifted his weight to bring his arm back against Bucky. “You know you can always tell me whatever you need to.”   
  


Bucky sucked in a breath, almost as if to steel himself against the memory. “I remembered you for a long time. When they first brought me in, gave me the arm, tried to train me, I fought back, I remember fighting back in every way I could think of. I wouldn’t follow the training, until they forced me to, tortured me until I did, then I’d screw it up on purpose. They finally told me that they would torture me, keep me on ice, force me to do their bidding, wipe my memories. Until I couldn’t remember my own name. They always promised me that, that eventually I wouldn’t be able to remember my own name. So I repeated it, but mostly, I repeated yours. I remember repeating your name, over and over, I pictured your face everywhere. The first time they froze me, your face was the last thing I saw.”

Steve felt his mouth go dry, Bucky had never spoken of the time after he fell, only of his memories during his time as the Winter Soldier. Steve was shocked to hear that it took time to break Bucky. Even through the pain he realized he also felt a little bit of pride for his friend, he fought back, he was strong, for however long. 

“I don’t remember time, not in years or days, or anything. I remember time as your face, your name, your eyes. I knew time had passed, I wasn’t as strong, when your face started to leave me. I don’t remember when I forgot my own name, it wasn’t important to me, as long as I had yours. I knew you would come for me, would fight for me, would save me. I couldn’t let go of that. But it faded, and eventually I guess I did. It hurts to know that they finally took you away from me, after so long. I tried so hard to keep you with me. I knew you’d save me. You were the only thing keeping me steady, even as I lost my mind. Even after I lost you, I felt the loss, I knew I was missing something, missing my anchor.”   
  


Steve swiped a hand across his face, surprised to feel warm wet against his palm. His chest hurt, and for a second he recalled the asthma he struggled with before the serum. He cleared his throat but when he spoke it was rough and uneven.

“Did you ever forgive me? For not coming after you? I didn’t even realize you were still there, I crashed that plane hoping to follow you. I can’t believe I let you go for so long without saving you. I’m sorry, Bucky.”   
  


Bucky looked up at him, surprised to see the tears in his eyes, and he suddenly brought his hand up to take Steve’s, squeezing his fingers limply before dropping them again. “There was no reason to ever forgive you, Steve, until I forgot about you, there was no doubt you were trying. I didn’t know how long it had been, I just held onto you coming after me. And eventually you did, took you way too damn long, but you did. You got me out. You steadied me, Steve.”

Steve couldn’t take it anymore, the gentle words, filled with so much pain. He turned and wrapped one arm across Bucky’s shoulders, pulling him firmly against his chest, his other hand coming up to wrap around the back of Bucky’s head, pulling him even closer. Steve realized his breathing was uneven as he stared over Bucky’s shoulder, taking in the words and emotions from the other man. 

Bucky clung to Steve, his steady voice gone, he gripped the headphones with his right hand, his left hand jerked up and around Steve’s waist, gripping tight to the back of Steve’s shirt. “You always steadied me, Steve, you kept me going. I held onto you for so long, I tried so hard. I lost myself, but there was always you.” His voice cracked and he fell silent, just holding onto his best friend and steadying himself through the contact. 

Steve pulled himself away just a bit, not enough to break either of their grips, but enough to get a glimpse of Bucky’s face. His eyes were closed tight. His breath coming in quick gasps, seemingly lost in the memories. 

“Bucky, I won’t let you go again. I’m sorry it took me so long. But I’ve got you, and I won’t ever let you go again.”

“I was unsteady for so long, Steve, I was so unsteady.”

“Not anymore, I’ve got you.”   
  


They fell silent, breathing in the other, steadying each other through the contact. 

Bucky finally dropped his arm, keeping himself close, but releasing the vice like grip. 

Steve dropped the hand from Bucky’s neck, but not from his shoulders, keeping him from moving away. But he realized Bucky didn’t want to move away as he shifted his weight. Bucky looked up and caught Steve’s gaze. 

“You steady me, Steve, I was so unsteady, but when you hold onto me, I’m back.”   
  


“I’ll always hold onto you, Buck, you steady me too. When I lost you I lost myself. I couldn’t handle being without you. I’m sorry I didn’t go after you. They told me not to and I listened. For once I listened, and it was when I shouldn’t have.”

“I never doubted you were coming, I knew you wouldn’t listen when you found me. I knew they would have told me if they had caught you or killed you. I prayed for you, I prayed to you.”

Steve felt his eyes prickle again and his breath caught.

“Sometimes I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t tell if I was praying you would come, or praying you wouldn’t. I hate when you put yourself in danger, but I was so desperate, so unsteady, I just needed to know you were there for me, somewhere, trying to get me back.”   
  


“I was, Bucky, I tried, you were the first thing I thought about when I woke up after the ice. It hurt to think you were gone. But you weren’t, and I don’t know that I can forgive myself for leaving you alone.”   
  


Bucky finally broke free. The emotions overriding his calm exterior, and he realized he was desperate to slip back into the Winter Soldier, escape the pain. He focused on Steve’s presence to keep him there, keep him steady. 

Steve backed away, one hand lingered on his friend's arm, dragging down the metal surface to the fingers. He saw the battle in his friend’s eyes and realized what he was fighting. He gripped Bucky’s shoulder tight again. “Fight it, Buck, I’ve got you, you’re here, I’ve got you.”   
  


Bucky looked deep into his eyes, his whole body tense. All the emotion, memory, and pain finally becoming too much. Steve leaned forward, till their foreheads touched, breath mingling. 

“I’ve got you, Bucky. You are James Buchanan Barnes, I’m Steven Rogers, they don’t have any hold over you, you’re back, I’ll always be here to hold you steady.”   
  


Bucky sucked in a deep breath, and suddenly his body went limp, tension gone. He caught his balance against Steve and his breathing stabilized. “I know, Steve, I’m here, I’m back. Sorry, I just. That was a lot to remember. But I’m back.”

Steve was glad to hear the strength in his voice. Bucky looked up again. “Hold me steady, Steve, I can’t do this alone.”   
  


Steve grinned, the relief flooding through his body. “I’ve got you, Buck. I’ve got you.”


	2. A Mission

“Any way you could take care of that, Sarge?”

The earpiece crackled slightly, but filtered out the fighting so the words remained clear. Bucky glowered down at the fight below him. He was becoming more and more aware of a sharp rock pressing into his quads but he pushed past the discomfort and tilted his head to bring the scene into focus through his scope. Black Widow and Hawkeye, as they insisted on being called during missions, were twirling and making quite a mess of the opposition, so it took several moments before he understood what the archer had been referencing. The dust around the pair was kicking up in small fast puffs. A machine gun. 

“Give me a second.” He barely huffed the words, focused more on following the trajectory and sound of the bullets. It didn’t take long, his super soldier hearing, while not quite as good as Steve’s, thanks to Hydra not believing in earbuds to protect the asset’s ears, was sufficient even over the good two hundred yards he had between him and the group of fighters. He inhaled, held, squeezed, exhaled, and relaxed. The loud crack from his gun was followed with silence from the gunman who had held the machine gun. His body now draped elegantly across his stationary weapon. Bucky smirked through his scope.

His smirk turned to gratitude for Stark as he realized that he’d hardly heard the pop of his own weapon in his ear. After Bucky had realized his hearing in his left ear was damaged Stark had quickly developed a pair of earbuds for the sniper to wear during missions. The one in his left ear was equipped with a microphone and speaker, his com unit. Both earbuds were unique from the rest of the team though. They filtered out loud sounds, Stark had said something about certain decibel ranges, so the sound of his weapon was muted the instant it went off, along with the sound of any other weapon within range, but still allowed Bucky the advantage of his super soldier hearing to protect himself while he was prone and focused. Small sounds-leaves crunching, rocks shifting- were still very audible, and it kept Bucky from having to shift his head back and forth looking for danger, it also kept him from needing the recovery time after missions to regain his hearing. He was able to focus so much more on the mission in front of him and he was glad for it. Though he wondered if Stark had grown weary of his constant thank you’s. 

It had been over 2 years since he had found Steve and started coming back to himself. He knew he still warred with himself and the Winter Soldier programming, but he had been cleared for missions with the team over six months ago. He was not an official Avenger, Tony had insisted he stayed anonymous to give them an “ace in the hole” during missions. And Bucky had to admit it had worked. The first several missions he had gone on had surprised the Hydra forces they went up against. No one expected the crack of a sniper rifle from a hill, or a building, he was able to save more people than he expected with his more than exceptional skills. But Bucky was never comfortable separating himself completely from the Winter Soldier. It was something he knew Steve wasn’t comfortable with, but Bucky was grateful for the programming during and after missions that allowed himself to separate his emotions from his conscience. He had always hated the guilt that came from taking down people, even enemies, without an actual chance to put up a fight. And the programming allowed the guilt to be washed away. That was the only part of the programming that still affected him, and he was hesitant to fight back against it. 

He continued taking out Nat and Clint’s opponents from afar, after the most recent wave of attackers had died down he noticed Clint looking up at the hill opposite himself. He chuckled, Clint, Sam, and Rhodey were the only members of the team who were never able to tell where he was camped on the hill. Though Bucky was certain that Stark relied heavily on the AI within his suit to actually find him, rather than sound and trajectory like Nat and Steve did. 

“Thanks for the help, Sarge, you’re definitely worth having around.” Clint waved slightly up at the hill he was looking at. 

Bucky laughed. “Don’t give me away like that, you don’t want someone coming after me.” 

Clint scratched the back of his head. “I don’t even know where you are, just up there somewhere.”

Bucky chuckled as Nat’s voice came over the coms. “That’s not even where he’s at so don’t worry, he’s just pulling your leg.”

“Guilty as charged, Widow. I’m at your six, Hawk, wave all you like in that direction.” He panned his scope as he spoke, ensuring no one was actually on the opposite hill to wave at.

Steve’s voice was strained as he joined the conversation. “I always liked having Bucky on my six, best backup a person could have. I’m actually gonna need you, Buck, you available to cover me?”   
  


Bucky panned over the valley below him, Steve was the only one who didn’t use his code name, Sergeant, during missions, but that was the way Bucky remembered it from the war, it was always just Bucky. He smirked as Stark came over the coms.

“Captain, come on, it’s been long enough you should be used to not using his name during missions. What happens if someone hacks our coms and figures out who he is?”

Bucky rolled his eyes as his scope passed over the storage building Nat and Clint were fighting by and trained his sights on the large four story factory he knew Steve was currently fighting in. “Which floor are you on, _ Captain _ ?” He emphasized the codename for Stark’s benefit, sure by now that his earbuds did not filter out sarcasm.

“Fourth, southwest corner. And if our coms got hacked, Stark, I would just be disappointed in your technology.”

Stark huffed but didn’t reply. 

Bucky grunted, with a flick of a finger he turned on the heat sensor in his scope, but still couldn’t pick out Steve’s image. “I’m not able to help from here, Steve, even with my scope I can’t see through the walls. Give me a bit.” He quickly brought his knees up, pulling himself into a crouch. He felt his quad resist, and knew he’d have some bruises from the rocks underneath him. He ignored it as he got a quick scan of the area, ensuring no one was sneaking around on him. He took off to the left, his gun up against his cheek still so he could keep his sights trained on the building. It was a few agonizing minutes before he finally was far enough along the ridge to get a view of the southwest corner. He was still too far away for the heat sensor to be useful, but the end of the building Steve was fighting on seemed to be just one big room. Good, he’d only need to go through one wall. Accuracy was everything when backing up Steve. 

Bucky cleared the area with his gaze before dropping into a sprawl again. He knew his aim was good enough without the regular sniper position, but it felt good to use it. It reminded him that he was just Bucky, the army sniper now. 

The buildings clustered below them were wrapped in the usually quiet valley. Bucky’s ridge extended in a wide circle around them, dropping off about three quarters of the way, incomplete because of the single dirt road that passed through the hills. Bucky understood why Hydra had set up a base here. It was easily defendable. It had taken a couple of hours for the team to take out the groups of soldiers on the ridge that were supposed to be defending the valley. Now that Bucky was the only person up there, the stronghold fell pretty easy. While backing up the rest of the team it was also his job to keep an eye on the top of the hills and the dirt road, warning the team if anyone was coming from either. 

Bucky focused his sights on the fight on the fourth floor. Steve had five Hydra agents swarming him, the window was large enough that he could see the fight, but not enough that he could actually pick out a target, his heat sensor still useless from this distance. Bucky grumbled, but got back up off the ground. He needed to be closer. He started down the hillside, quickly, still focused on his scope. 

Suddenly another sharp crack in the woods caught his attention. Steve’s voice came through the coms. “Did you miss, Buck?” His tone was teasing, but it put Bucky on edge. 

“That wasn’t me, Steve.” He scanned the ridge around him, starting left and moving right. Another crack echoed and he managed to catch the flash of the muzzle through his scope. “Dammit.” He realized they weren’t aiming at Steve as the Ironman suit caught his eye. Stark had taken off from the ground and was circling above Clint and Nat’s fight. “Stark, you need to fly higher.”

He was impressed when Stark didn’t complain or question, just pushed his suit higher with a flash from his blasters. 

“What’s wrong, Buck?”

“Fuck.” Bucky swore as he realized he couldn’t drop to the ground and take out the gunman, the trees were too dense, and the angle was wrong. Another crack and flash told him he needed to figure something out soon. “Stark, south hillside, I can’t get a good look at him. We must have missed him in our sweep.” 

The Ironman suit quickly leveled out and started in that direction. “Wow, Cap, so everyone else gets a lecture on manners when they swear, but if it’s the Sergeant who cares, right?”

Bucky was too tense to engage in the banter as he heard the crack again. “Stark, god damn it, don’t fly in a straight line, he’s aiming at you.”

“I can’t even see him yet, Sarge, how was I supposed to know. Jarvis, find him.” 

A sudden grunt in his coms brought Bucky’s attention back to the fight on the fourth floor. Steve had been joined by more agents, Bucky lost count through the window. His descent from the hillside finally brought him close enough that his heat sensors kicked in, his scope changing from clear to colored. Bucky had spent time training with Steve and the others with his scope, so that in these situations he could pick out their heat signatures from the agents, and now he was glad for the skill. But there was so much movement he couldn’t get a clear shot. 

He hoped Stark was taking care of the gunman in the hills, because he couldn’t, not with Steve in this much trouble. 

“Steve, drop.” Bucky saw the heat signature that was Steve drop down out of sight and Bucky squeezed the trigger. Another heat signature dropped and Steve’s came back into sight. They got into a quick rhythm: Steve dropped, Bucky squeezed. Slowly the numbers decreased, but not enough, considering how many shots Bucky was taking. He was on his third magazine, there was no reason for there to still be this many agents. 

Steve seemed to agree. “Where are they all coming from?” He growled as he kicked an agent hard, Bucky pulled away from the scope to watch the poor guy hit the window and then the ground. 

Stark was the one who answered. “Jarvis analyzed the building, apparently there’s a network of structures underneath the building you’re in, Cap, don’t know what’s down there, except apparently a whole lot of agents.”

Bucky made a decision. “Hold it down, Steve, I’m coming in to join you. Widow, Hawkeye, can you find the door on the main floor where they’re coming from?”

“Already on it, Sarge.” Nat’s confident voice was winded, he saw them head toward the building.

He quickly stood and disassembled his rifle. It was one he had designed himself, and Stark built, with some modifications. It could go from a sniper rifle to a very high powered assault rifle with only a few adjustments. He folded the bipod in and clicked them into the spaces on his hand guard where they were out of his way. His metal hand unscrewed the hot muzzle, the heat barely registering through the metal plates, and he slipped it into the heat resistant pouch on his hip, his hand might be able to resist the heat but his leg certainly couldn’t, so the pouch was a thoughtful additional by Stark to his outfit. He removed the smaller wider muzzle and rescrewed it. He left the scope on, but shortened it with a quick twist. He slipped the magazine of ammo out of the gun, and switched it with a different one. Different focus, different weapon completely. He had to say he was proud of the way the new weapon had turned out. He trotted down the hill quickly. Once he was clear of the trees he burst into a run. 

He felt a little dramatic when, instead of running around to the door, he simply shot out a first floor window and rolled through it, it was something Steve would do, not him. But the feeling quickly disappeared when he heard the sound of a wall crashing. He found the stairwell quickly, slipping the gun onto his back before dispatching the few agents left there with a knife from his belt. He only slowed as he reached the fourth floor. 

“Sarge, did you take a look at the road before you left your post?” Stark’s voice didn’t sound worried, but the words were worrying themselves. 

“Of course I did, it was clear.” Bucky nearly growled. He needed to get to Steve, there were way too many agents for him to take on himself. 

“It’s not anymore. We’re gonna need firepower. I’m pretty sure that’s a tank.”

Bucky swore again. “I can’t do anything about it from here. Isn’t that suit supposed to be a tank by itself?”

“It might also have a small army. I can’t do it all myself.” 

Bucky burst through the fourth floor door. He found himself in a small room. There was a very obvious dent in the opposite wall about the size of a man. 

“I need Bucky’s back up, Stark, figure it out.”

Bucky dispatched a few agents who had been backed into his room. He pulled his gun back into his arms, bracing it on his shoulder as he kicked the door that was now hanging on just one hinge. Steve was surrounded by agents, at least three dozen vied for his attention in the fight, he was slowly backing into a corner even as he used his shield to fight back. Most of the agents were having to forego use of their guns because of the close quarter combat, but a few were up against the wall taking shots at the super soldier. So far Steve seemed unharmed, but the glimpses that Bucky caught of his face told him Steve was tired. 

Bucky took some quick shots to get rid of the agents on the wall. He moved to the window to assess the situation outside. Stark was right, it was a tank, a small one, probably only room for one agent inside, but definitely a tank. Stark was focusing so much on not getting shot that he couldn’t focus on taking it out of commission. 

“Nat, Clint, status?” He forgot to use codenames, he knew the Avengers were a capable team, but his default was protective. His troop was in trouble, and he was the ace in the hole, he was supposed to be able to help. 

“There’s a network of tunnels for sure, there seem to be a lot of rooms down here, not sure exactly how spread out stuff is down here, but there’s also a lot of machines. I’m not sure what it is, Stark and Bruce will want to analyze it.” 

Bucky grunted. “Focus on the tunnels, try to keep anyone else down there, we’re a little too busy up here.” He was getting pissed at the amount of agents swarming his boyfriend. He leveled his weapon at the opposite wall. “Steve, on the floor and stay there.” 

Steve dropped into the corner, pulling his shield and tucking behind it. Bucky flipped a switch on his rifle, another modification he had Stark add, and the weapon became fully automatic. He held the trigger down, emptying the magazine and dropping almost half the agents. He switched the magazine again, but before he could empty it Steve was standing. 

“I said down, Rogers, I’m not done with these guys yet.” He ground out the words through a clenched jaw, realizing that more agents were coming through the door on his right. 

Steve dropped reluctantly. “Don’t use all your ammo, Buck, we’ve got to clear the tunnels too.”

“I have seven more magazines. Shut up and sit tight.” The agents were swarming him now, and his rifle was too big to do much if they got any closer. By the time his weapon became useless he was down to five or six Hydra men. In one quick move he stowed his rifle on his back and pulled double handguns from his thighs. He dodged one agent, shot another in the knees, wrapped his fingers around the strap of a third, still holding his gun, but more focused on using the man as a shield. A couple shots later and he was down to one, but the guy was quick, grabbing weapons from downed agents as he circled and dodged Bucky’s own attacks. Suddenly the guy stiffened then dropped. 

Steve grinned at Bucky. “Looked like you could use the backup.” 

Bucky straightened out of his defensive stance. “Thanks, you okay?” 

Steve sighed. “Tired, might have a sprained wrist, just another day on the job.”

Bucky reached for him and Steve willingly gave his wrist over. Bucky remembered the first time he had tried to check on Steve during a mission. It had taken a lot of coaxing and swears before he had finally relented. Bucky was glad it wasn’t so difficult anymore. 

He muted his com as he examined Steve. He saw Steve do the same. He raised an eyebrow. Steve smiled at him. “Thanks for the backup, Buck, it was dicey for a minute there.” He winced as Bucky flexed the joint. 

“You know I always have your six, Steve. Sorry it took me so long to get here.” Bucky pulled some rolled cloth out of yet another pocket. He began to wrap the wrist when Steve pulled it away. 

“I can’t be effective with a wrapped wrist, stop being dramatic.” 

Bucky glared and grabbed his forearm, pulling it back. “You’re not gonna engage them again without me, together we’ll be more effective, with or without a wrapped wrist, and I’d prefer you not get even more injured.” It only took a minute before his quick first aid was complete. But Bucky didn’t let his wrist go. He simply tugged it closer. Steve came into his arms willingly, but with a sigh.

“Buck, we’ve got to clear the rest of the area.”

“I know, I just got worried about you, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Buck, I’m fine, when I know you’re at my six I don’t worry about much.” Steve smiled and kissed his cheek lightly. “I promise I’m good, you had my back like you always do.” 

Bucky tried to relax, Steve was alright, it was okay. He rested his forehead lightly on Steve’s chest, reveling in his warmth and strength. Steve’s hand rested lightly on the back of his neck, he kissed him on the top of the head, and Bucky realized he needed a little more than that to calm his nerves. He looked up and captured Steve’s mouth. It wasn’t for long, but it was enough. 

He stepped away, stroking Steve’s face lightly. He smiled gently. “Thanks, Steve, sorry, this mission just got on my nerves, I can’t believe I missed that sniper on the hillside during my sweep…”

Before Steve could reply Bucky reached up and unmuted his com. “Status report, please.”

“Well, there’s still a tank in the front yard, honey, but what should I make for dinner?” 

“I don’t have time for sarcasm, Stark.” Bucky growled and moved to the window. 

“Where do you want me, Sargeant?” The whisper didn’t come from his coms. The back of Bucky’s neck prickled and he turned to grin at Steve. The thing he loved about Steve not using his codename, was that he used it in other situations, when it came from Steve it was a bit too much of a turn-on for a combat situation. And Steve tended to use that to his advantage.

“Cover my six while I take care of a tank?” 

Steve winked at him and reactivated his com link. “Roger that, Buck, I’ll cover the stairwell.”

Bucky took a breath, trying to get back in mission mode. Steve knew how to distract him, but sometimes it wasn’t the best idea. He turned back to find Steve fully in mission mode, he was checking the Hydra agents who were down, seeing if there were any that were still breathing, Bucky assumed it was for intelligence reasons. 

He turned his attention to the tank outside. Hawkeye had joined Stark, taking out the small army one by one. 

Bucky began to reset his rifle to sniper mode, taking it off automatic and switching ammo while he did so. He scoped toward the tank, looking for any signs of weakness. There were a couple of panels, but this wasn’t the WWII tanks he was used to. 

“Steve, ya busy?”

“What’s up?” Steve appeared at his shoulder, following his focus to the tank. 

Apparently the tank noticed. The gun took aim and started shooting at the building. The wall fifty feet away blew free. Steve jumped to cover Bucky from the debris with his shield. 

Bucky took a couple shots, his rifle not even audible over the boom of the tank. Nothing seemed to make a difference. Bucky focused on the area right around the gun, if he could take out the firepower it wouldn’t matter if the tank was still operational. A couple shots later it seemed that wasn’t a good idea either. He glanced at Steve who was now covered in dirt, a couple scratches on his forehead and cheek. Bucky was sure he looked much the same.

“I can’t find a weakness, there’s too many panels and I’ve never seen a tank like this.” 

“Did you try the weapon controls?” 

Bucky glowered. “I’m 95, not stupid.” He turned back, continuing to take shots, but none of them seemed to help. 

He could hear the irritation in Steve’s reply. “Why do you think I have experience with this? You’re the one who spent 70 years with Hydra.” 

Bucky went still. That was true. Though his memories weren’t all there, he was sure the Winter Soldier had spent time in one of these, surely he had. He closed his eyes, tuning out the sound of the second story wall blowing out as he sought out the programming for the first time ever. 

Bucky turned back to Steve. “You’re right, but it was the Winter Soldier. I can take it out, but I need to access those skills in a different way than I ever have. You might need to pull me out.”

Steve’s concern covered his face. “Don’t, there’s gotta be a different way. Stark, has Jarvis analyzed it?”

“I’ve already tried all his ideas. The panels are apparently several inches thick. Even my beams aren’t getting through.”

Bucky nodded. “Okay, Steve, watch me, don’t let me hurt anyone besides Hydra.” He didn’t listen for Steve’s reply. He closed his eyes, relaxing every wall he had built around the programming. And suddenly he was gone. 

Steve’s eyes widened at the change in Bucky. His shoulders came up, his feet shifted until he was in a completely different position, his rifle at a different angle, his hand slid up the barrel for a different grip on the weapon. Steve’s glance went from the door back to Bucky repeatedly. It took several moments for the Winter Soldier to finally take a shot. Steve glanced out the window. A panel had blown free. 

“How-” Stark was interrupted by several more bursts from Bucky’s rifle. Steve realized he was taking out more than just the tank. Every agent outside began to go down, every shot was a direct kill shot. 

“Stark, Hawkeye, retreat. I don’t know if he can tell who’s who.”

“Damn, I don’t know if that was a good idea, Cap, I didn’t even realize he could actually submerse himself in the programming….” Hawkeye sounded winded, but uninjured. 

“I didn’t know either. I knew he struggled to keep them seperate, but willingly embrace it?” Steve watched Bucky’s face. His eyes had gone from blue grey, to steel. 

“I’m gonna join Natasha. All the agents below are subdued or eliminated. She’s working on cracking the security code for the computer, the tank is the only defence left, and if Sergeant has it, I’ll be more useful down there.” 

“I guess I’ll join him if the soldier boy has it under control.” Stark dropped from the sky and landed near the doorway Hawkeye had disappeared into. “Let me know if he needs help coming out of it.” 

Steve watched Bucky’s focus. It was completely centered on the tank outside now. All the other men were on the ground, harmless now. Suddenly the soldier stood. Steve reached out to grab him, but was interrupted by another blast from the tank. Suddenly Bucky’s eyes were on him. “The mission can only be completed by entering the tank. It was designed to be unbreachable from the outside. The mission will be completed shortly.”

Steve grabbed him. “Bucky, come back to me. It’s okay, we can take care of it now.”

The soldier pushed him back, though Steve recognized that it was far gentler than other times the Winter Soldier had pushed him. “The mission will be completed.”

Steve watched helplessly while Bucky walked toward the blown out wall, he glanced down at the ground, nodded, then stepped out. Steve lunged, but didn’t get there in time to stop him. He watched Bucky land, hard, without rolling against the impact. That wasn’t something Bucky would ever do. His movements were always graceful and careful. Apparently the Winter Soldier didn’t care. 

Steve ran toward the stairwell, lunging over bodies that had been left from the earlier fight, desperate to get outside before something bad happened.

Bucky was working on getting another panel free by the time he got out to him. He ran toward the tank, keeping his shield up in case it decided to fire. He passed the first panel Bucky had shot out. Stark was right, that had to be at least three inches thick. How would Bucky manage to get in?

Bucky had his weapon strapped to his back, one of his large knives was working on another panel, Bucky’s metal arm whirring mechanically as he forced the knife through the thick metal. He twisted and the panel came flying off. Steve ducked behind the shield as it flew toward him. He stopped behind Bucky, watching as the soldier worked some of the wires free from the tank. Apparently the agent in the tank had decided firing was useless, because it had gone quiet. Bucky’s fingers were nearly flying as he cut, stripped, and crossed several wires. Steve wanted to ask what he was doing, but didn’t want to attract the wrong attention from the Winter Soldier. Suddenly the gun dropped to a neutral position, pointing quietly at the ground. Bucky huffed, seemingly pleased. He moved quickly to another panel and the process repeated, the knife twisted the panel free, and his fingers worked to reroute the wires inside. A minute later the tank hatch creaked open, whirring gently. Bucky immediately stowed the knife again, but instead of reaching for the rifle he plucked a handgun from his back holster. He stood over the entrance and fired one shot. 

Steve raced up the tank side to reach him, but Bucky dropped into the tank before he got there. Steve followed him down. Bucky had taken the driver's seat, holstering his weapon and pushing aside the downed agent, but instead of using the controls or dismantling wires, he reached with his metal hand, finding a panel underneath the switch board. He drew his fist back and crushed the inside of the panel. He proceeded to do the same with the control panel. When he finished there was nothing left, and the once weaponized and deadly piece of machinery was completely useless. 

Bucky turned to Steve. He didn’t meet his eyes, instead his gaze rested somewhere over Steve’s left shoulder. “Mission complete. Tank dismantled.” He stood blankly for several minutes.

Steve finally moved toward him in the cramped space. “Bucky?”

The Winter Soldier snapped back to attention. “Ready to comply.”   
  


Steve winced. “Soldier, retreat to safety.” Steve hated talking to the Winter Soldier, but he didn’t know if he could pull Bucky out of it inside the tank.   
  


The soldier nodded. He followed Steve as they climbed out and dropped to the ground, again Bucky didn’t care about the impact of the drop. He walked over to the doorway, inspected the inside of the building and entered. 

Steve followed to find the Winter Soldier standing at attention at the bottom of the stairs. He slowly approached him, reaching up to mute his coms. “Hey, Buck, it’s Steve, you did it, the tank is done, you can come back to me now.”

He saw the soldier’s eyes flicker. They stopped on Steve and his breathing became erratic. “Bucky, breath, come back to me.” Steve got close enough to reach out and touch his arm. When there was no reaction he moved his hand up to his shoulder. “You did it, good job, now come back.”

It took another few minutes of coaxing, Steve brushed Bucky’s face with his fingers, his other hand gripping his metal hand in case Bucky did react. Slowly Bucky’s breathing settled, until suddenly he went limp. Steve quickly caught him in his arms and laid him back on the stairs. When Bucky opened his eyes seconds later they were clear, back to their grey blue color.    
  


“Steve?”

“Buck, hey, welcome back. You okay? How you feeling?” Steve reached over and muted Bucky’s coms. He knew Stark hated it when they went dark, but Steve needed a few minutes to get Bucky back. 

Bucky gulped in breaths of air, his chest heaving. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

Steve nodded, still caressing his face gently. “Yeah, we’re all good, you did a good job, Buck, the tank is definitely out of commission.”

Bucky nodded, laying his head back. “Good. God that was rough. How long have I been out?”

Steve gripped the side of Bucky’s jaw, trying to calm his own racing heart. “Twenty minutes maybe. You dismantled the tank, came in here and it took you a few minutes to snap out of it.”

Bucky licked his lips. “Good, anybody get hurt, besides the bad guys?”

“You might have, you dropped from the fourth floor, the landing looked rough.”

Bucky chuckled without humor, nodding. “That explains it. My back feels like it’s on fire.”

Steve nodded. “Let’s get you to the jet, you’ve done enough today.” He reached up to bring his coms back online. “Team, Buck’s back, I’m gonna get him to the quinjet. How’s things down there?”

It was Nat’s voice that replied. “Everything’s clear, we contacted Fury, he’ll be in with a team to scout things out, we’ve got intel off their computer we can analyze back at the compound. We’ll meet you at the transport.”

Steve nodded, standing up and offering a hand to Bucky. Bucky took it and pulled himself to his feet. He suddenly stopped and then reached up, pulling Steve down to him. Their lips met, and Steve sighed into it. 

“Thank you, Steve, I love you.”

“I love you too, Buck. I know that was hard. I’m proud of you for pulling through it.” He reached up, knocking Bucky lightly on the jaw with his fist. “Next time let’s think of a different plan. I’m not a huge fan of you ducking into the program like that.” 

Bucky smirked. “I didn’t even know I could, you just mentioned I was the only one who’d seen one of those tanks before, programming or not. So I went for it. Kind of a stupid thing to do, I guess.”

Steve chuckled, throwing his arm over Bucky’s shoulders as they headed toward the door and a hot shower. “Damn right it was, you’re supposed to let me do the stupid stuff.”

Bucky laughed, his laugh only grew when Stark’s voice came over the coms.

“Language, Cap!”

Steve winced, he’d forgotten he’d turned his coms back on. 

Bucky laughed and bumped him gently. “Yeah, old man, what has the world come too?”

Steve glowered and pulled Bucky in for another kiss.


	3. Lazer Tag Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a tumblr prompt. I hope you guys enjoy this. I’m trying to keep to character and I hope that I’m doing a decent job.

_ Laser Tag Bonding _

Steve slipped on the vest, tightening the straps, and clipping the gun onto a strap on his hip. He looked up and met Bucky’s eyes. He could see the tension and just a glimmer of excitement in them and he gave him a tense smile. 

Clint spoke from the other side of the small square room. “Are we seriously going to do this?”

Steve grinned at him as he tightened another strap. “It’s a little too late to back out, don’t get cold feet on us.”

Bucky laughed and turned to the computer screen on the wall. “Ah, simple mission, shoot anytime you see green.” 

Stark, Natasha, Bruce, Sam, and Pepper joined them at the door. Breaching was easy, it was the battle that came after that was causing the tense glances and tight smirks. 

“This is supposed to be the biggest laser tag arena in the US, this is gonna be good.” Tony wiggled his eyebrows at the rest of them. 

The employee laughed. “Supposed to be? Just passed this door is over five hundred square feet of nothing but barriers, rooms, raised levels for sniping, and some fun little corners to hide in. Don’t forget there are also centers in each of the corners of the room, hit those without getting hit by the rays it sends out and you’ll earn extra points. You asked for every man for himself mode, so who’s going first?”

They lined up, Stark and Pepper at the front, and Steve and Bucky bringing up the rear. Bucky leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on the back of Steve’s neck. Steve jerked around and gave him a good natured glare.

“Hey, no distractions. I need to focus on kicking Tony’s ass.”

Bucky chuckled. “Be my guest, I’m going after Sam.” 

The attendant scanned their guns, the door closed behind them and the lights went out. The team scattered, though Bucky made sure to keep track of Steve’s movements. Ten seconds later the lights on their vests flashed, and a harsh siren filled the air. Lights began to flash and Bucky’s gun lit up. 

He took a few breaths to calm his racing heart, the sirens and lights made his hands tremble just slightly and he had to focus and remind himself that he was not in danger. He entered hunting mode and lost himself to the game.

Each game lasted ten minutes, Stark had reserved the arena for two hours. Plenty of time to cause some trouble and have some fun. 

Steve waited until they were on game three to set his sights on his best friend and lover. They entered the arena again, and Steve pretended to go after Sam, keeping Bucky in the corner of his eye. He was impressed and surprised when Bucky quickly disappeared. He circled around, back toward where he’d last seen Bucky disappear. Where had he gone? 

He slowly turned in a circle, surveying the hiding spots that were accessible from here. As the attendant had mentioned there were three raised levels, all someone had to do was use the footholds along the wall to reach them and then they could jump from one platform to the other, using that way Steve had crossed from one edge of the room to the other within a minute just last game. If Bucky went up there there was no way Steve would catch him. He was far too quick and the skills he’d gained as the Winter Soldier only added to his ability to disappear. 

Steve quietly crept along the wall, keeping his back, and his glowing targets away from prying eyes and quick gunsights. Sam passed him and Steve took him out with a quick shot. He smirked as Sam growled and disappeared. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the tagging pistol, he normally didn’t use weapons, only his shield, so he wasn’t completely confident, but the last three games had taught him a few things, mostly that if he moved quietly and kept his head down most of the team members didn’t notice him. 

He managed to hit Tony a few times and Pepper once within the next few minutes, but he hadn’t managed to catch sight of Bucky. Steve even flipped up into the platform levels but Bucky wasn’t up there either. He continued his cautious search along the wall, keeping one eye out for Bucky and the other focused on the other avengers. 

Bucky watched Steve move quietly below him, stalking him, waiting for an opening, the smirk never leaving his lips. Steve was looking for him, and had been looking the entire game, so far he hadn’t even noticed Bucky above him. Bucky understood he had a little bit of an unfair advantage, but they were all superheroes so he didn’t stress about it. He did notice that Natasha was also taking advantage of her stealth skills, he’d managed to catch sight of her a couple times, but she mostly stayed out of sight and made the long distance shots. So far, throughout all three games, she had been the only one who had tagged him. He was impressed. 

The countdown on his gun reached three minutes, he slipped over to the next platform and dropped. 

Steve nearly shrieked in surprise when he felt someone drop down behind him, he whipped around and came face to face with Bucky. The man had a confident smirk on his face, it was almost predatory.

Steve raised his gun but before he could even set the sights on his boyfriend he was shoved against the wall and into a corner. Bucky captured his mouth in a fierce kiss and after the shock wore off Steve melted into it. Bucky shoved him harder, until their bodies were pressed together, and his knee slipped between Steve’s thighs. 

Steve gasped when Bucky finally pulled away but he didn’t have much time to catch his breath. Bucky’s hand came up to his neck and pulled him in again, and he surrendered, loving the way Bucky pulled his hair in order to tip his head back and open his mouth, slipping his tongue through the gap. He dropped his gun to bring his hands up to grab Bucky, running fingers through his hair. They’d kissed before, even desperately, but this was a whole new level of need and Steve lost himself to it.

Bucky finally pulled away and Steve barely saw the smirk through the haze Bucky’s mouth left him in. 

“Damn, Buck. What the hell…” His voice was hoarse and breathless.

Bucky dropped another quick kiss on his lips. “I love you, Steve.”

Steve laughed breathlessly. “Love you too, Bucky, you know that.”

“Don’t you forget it.” 

Steve barely had time to register the tagger pressed to his vest before Bucky pulled the trigger. His gun whirred, registering the tag-out, and Steve banged his head on the wall behind him, coming out of the haze completely.

“You bastard!”

“You can’t let yourself get distracted, Stevie!” Bucky grinned, winked and quickly disappeared. 

Steve grumbled, waiting the required ten seconds before his gun activated again. He had just barely moved away from the wall, eyes searching when the siren went off again. He cursed as the lights stopped flashing signaling the end of the match. 

He huffed as he joined the rest of the team at the starting door. Tony gave him a questioning look at the frustration on his face. He shook his head and rounded on Bucky as he appeared behind him. 

“You jerk! That’s not fair!” 

Bucky saw the punch coming from a mile away and blocked it easily with his metal arm. “Hey, there was no rule against it.” He winked and thoroughly enjoyed the scowl that answered him. 

Steve punched him again and Bucky easily parried, using the momentum of the swing to pull Steve against him. “Come on, babe, it was funny. You were practically a puddle, I couldn’t not take advantage of that.” 

Bucky smiled at him, waiting for Steve’s scowl to soften into a grumpy half smile before dropping another kiss onto his lips. “Come on, you said you loved me.”

With that Steve finally smiled, shaking his head and pushing away from Bucky. “You’re still a jerk, even if I do love you.”

“You coming, or what?” Sam interrupted, holding the door open to let them back inside. “We’re playing teams next, four against four, you guys are with Nat and me.”

Steve shoved Bucky through the door and Bucky laughed again. “Come on, Steve, join me, let’s kick some superhero ass.”

Bucky couldn’t say he was surprised when Steve used their teammate status to push him against the wall and give him some solid payback, fingers grabbing and shoving desperately. He allowed himself to get lost in the moment, his own hands pulling Steve tighter against him.

He wasn’t surprised, but he thoroughly enjoyed it. 


End file.
